How Do You Learn to Play a Song

[Glennwillow]

When I decide to learn a new song (though it's often an old song, just new for me), I first look the song up on YouTube. Then I google "chords and lyrics for _____________ by _______". Google almost always takes me to ultimateguitar.com for those chords and lyrics. If I'm doing a song by an artist I know well, say Gordon Lightfoot or Paul Simon, I know to go to their own websites for the information.

I have been playing for a long time (60 years) so I generally have no trouble playing the chords suggested by ultimateguitar.com.

Next, I print out the chords and lyrics, lay them on the desk in front of me and then go to the YouTube version of the song and play with the original artist. I would say that 90% of the time I find that the Ultimate Guitar chords (and often the lyrics) are not correct, so then I make corrections. I fix the lyrics and I find the correct chords, again, by playing with the original version.

After I have played through with the original version a number of times, by that time I pretty much have the song down. So from beginning to this point, I have used up no more than a half hour. I google what is the original tempo of the song. Sometimes I can't find a tempo listed so I have to figure it out based on the YouTube version by using a stop watch on my cell phone.

If I'm going to use drums for my version of the song, then I'll go to my recording program and start setting up the drum track, where I use EZ Drummer as a plug-in for Cubase. Once I have the drum track down, then I just start laying down parts.

I can usually have a multi-track version of a song down in a couple of hours, but learning to sing a song well takes a few hours of practice over at least a couple of days to get good at most songs. It always depends on how difficult a song is or how it fits into my vocal range.

Figuring out how to play a song accurately today is so very much easier than it used to be. There was a time 40 years ago when I was doing top-40 dance music where I would be running a tape recorder off the radio for days at a time to collect songs that I would then figure out off the tapes. That was a lot of work and took a lot of time, but I always was fairly good at knowing how to figure out pop or folk music. The difference today is that it all can be done so much faster and easier.

Once in a while I will look up on YouTube "how to play _____ by ______". Depending on who is teaching the song, some of these videos are pretty useless and some are very good.

- Glenn

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, in the "olden days" I'd hear a song, buy the record, put it on the record player, write down the lyrics as best I could then ,, then try to tune my guitar to the record, and work out the chords (I knew that if I could work out the I chord, then I'd know the IV and the V, but anything esle was a mystery not knowing about harmonising the scale back then.

Now , if I hear a song I like , I'll look on Ultimate Guitar, change the key, and cut and paste to a word document. reformat it as I want, and "try" to memorise the lyrics and storyline (I'm very old and have run out of RAM).

Now it is my song and I'll change the key, tempo, maybe a lyric or two. make some notes on the A4 sheet and "Bob is your uncle" ... as they say.

I don't read notation, and never use tab, as I work out my own intro and breaks mostly using the vocal melody.

The most important aspect of the song is the storyline.

[Robin, Wales]

Interesting stuff....

We definitely have an apples and oranges thing going on in AGF between learning "songs" and learning "tunes". They are certainly different beasties.

I learn songs pretty much as others have described. I hear something that I like and then do a mixture of by ear and chord/lyrics sheets on the Web. Plus watching different versions on YouTube and stealing ideas to make my own arrangements.

One thing that I do (and I bet others do to without realising) is that I start with the rhythm. I get the feel of the song in my hands.

[Dave Hicks]

If it's not too complicated a song (3, 4, 5 chords say) I can usually get a basic version by ear. But I usually cheat and look up the lyrics on www. Next is usually rassling around with a capo to find the best key to sing in.

D.H.

[Bluenose]

I'm always looking for fingerpicking songs to learn on UTube. I watch and listen to figure out what key it's in, what tuning and if a capo is being used.

When I have that I can figure out the chords and inversions and single string runs if any. At this point I can usually fill in the blanks.

Sometimes I have to slow down difficult passages and set up loops using my Vidami pedal. I know I'll probably forget it in a day or two so if it's something I think I'll want to play in the future I'll take the time to transcribe it in TablEdit and put it in my library.

I can be tenacious if it's something I really want to learn and will keep at it until either I get it or give up at which time I say screw it and turn on the TV. I'm under no pressure, it's all just for my fun anyway. Just another old retired guy goofing around and enjoying life.

[Mr.Thumbpick]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Yes, exactly!

Play it until you get it right. Then play it some more until you can't get it wrong.

Yes. Sometimes I've played some songs for months multiple times a day. So thousands upon thousands of times. Passage by passage... very slowly, a little quicker... quicker.... up to tempo... back to slow again... fix stuff up, speed up a bit etc. Record it, hear the mistakes... go back to slow... People don't realise what it takes sometimes.

[Robin, Wales]

I forgot to mention:

Learning the guitar accompaniment is the easy bit....... but memorising lyrics! I spend a lot of time without a guitar in my hands just learning lyrics.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

I forgot to mention:

Learning the guitar accompaniment is the easy bit....... but memorising lyrics! I spend a lot of time without a guitar in my hands just learning lyrics.

Lyrics is the hardest part for me, too, but I learn them best by singing the song over and over again trying not to look at my cheat sheet lyrics as I sing the song. So in my case, I have the guitar in my hands and I'm playing the song over and over again.

- Glenn

[Robin, Wales]

Glenn, I would struggle to play guitar while riding my bike. But I can use that time usefully to learn the lyrics that I tape to my handlebars.

[Mr.Thumbpick]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Interesting stuff....

We definitely have an apples and oranges thing going on in AGF between learning "songs" and learning "tunes". They are certainly different beasties.

Yes I fell into this trap. When talked about spending weeks I'm talking about challenging solo guitar stuff. Not a song where there are lyrics and the guitar is just playing some sort of accompaniment in the background.

[jseth]

The vast percentage of songs I play have lyrics, so the most challenging portion of learning a new song is memorizing th4 lyric... other than a few artists whose music is extremely demanding - i.e. Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder...! - I first work out an arrangement of the music; what kind of groove will I use, what tempo, what key works for my voice?

Then I will WRITE DOWN THE LYRIC, LONGHAND! After listening to the song multiple times and actually writing the lyrics down, those words stick in my memory pretty well.

The problem with Youtube and places where they "give you" the lyric and the chord changes is that they are SO easy that I don't have to remember them, so I don't.

While I'm writing the words down, I'm thinking of "how?" this song relates to me, how do I fit in to those words, to the story... this is a method that Judy Davis taught as a way to personalize each song we sing...

I have spoken very highly of Judy Davis' methods and coaching in my replies on this Forum - I am very pleased to announce that ALL her vocal lessons and exercises are now on YouTube!

Everything from vowel sounds, breathing exercises to sub-plots. If you are serious about your singing, take some time and dig in to these glorious lessons from the same woman who coached Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter, Paul and Mary, Steve Perry (Journey), Eddie Money, Lena Horne, Judy Garland... and SO many more! Her work is invaluable to the singer...